Typical Of The Genre, But Not Much More!

Rating: 6/10 (29 January 2019)

In the modern-day action film you come to expect it: The big special-effects, blockbuster extravaganza! The world in peril; Only one hero can save us; It's all-out action! "Pacific Rim" is all of those things. And while it's enjoyable for what it is, it doesn't bring you anything you haven't seen before.
The plot revolves around an inter-dimension rift in the ocean, that allows giant monsters to come into our world. The only force to stop them are giant robots, called "Jaegers," which rely on two pilots to control it. When the threat of the monsters becomes too great, the "Jaegers" must undertake a mission that is a do-or-die proposition for them and the Earth!
As I said, this film hits all the notes that you expect. There's lots of action and visual effects on display. And some of the battles are a bit exciting. But it also has character plots that are so by-the-numbers, that you could set your watch to them. The one jerk pilot (played by Robert Kazinsky) is always poking our hero pilot (played by Charlie Hunnam), so you know a throw down between them is inevitable. Then you have the story point about only one other guy having piloted a "Jaeger" solo, besides our hero, and they telegraph to you who it is, so when it is revealed, there is absolutely no surprise at all to it. Much of the character development stuff between the battles, while not dragging in pace, certainly doesn't do much to advance your interest or investment in the characters. It's decent filler material, but you'll see the "twists" coming a mile away.
There is some nice comedy relief from Charlie Day's and Burn Gorman's characters, as they play a couple of squabbling and competitive scientists, looking to figure out a way to stop the monsters for good. And Ron Perlman's turn as a sleazy black market salesman is good for a few laughs, too. They bring a little bit of campy life to the script and downtime moments from the action sequences, which are enjoyable. But, overall, the character moments are just there to kill the time between monster fights. Director Guillermo del Toro knows that he's not looking to make a great dramatic tale, but a fast-paced action epic that is filled with lots of visual eye-candy for the viewer. And, for the most part, he accomplishes that much.
In the end, "Pacific Rim" is what it is and does what it sets out to do. But it doesn't give you anything new, that you haven't seen before. To me, the film is basically "Voltron meets Godzilla (the 1998 version)!" It's a movie that's all about having some big, dumb fun, as it asks you to check your brain at the door. It's far from the worst movie you could see and there are definitely worse ways to kill 131 minutes of your day. So, if you are looking for a visually exciting spectacle, that won't cause you to tax your mental capacities, this film will give you what you crave! If you are looking for something more, you'd probably best look elsewhere.